


you're not my church, it's just the bells

by likewinning



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 23:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17476613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likewinning/pseuds/likewinning
Summary: There'salwayssome high schooler here.





	you're not my church, it's just the bells

**Author's Note:**

> Cleaning out my gdocs! This was supposed to be its own verse a couple years ago, I think, but I think it stands well enough on its own.

"Roy," Dick says. Roy makes some unintelligible noise from where he's crashed out on the floor, tangled up in last night's sheets, but he doesn't move. " _Roy_ ," Dick says, and kicks his knee.

"Whu?" Roy rolls over and blinks up at him. His hair has something sticky-looking in it and his eyes are all puffy.

"There's someone here for you," Dick says.

Roy yawns, scratches his balls. "Male, female?"

"Male," Dick says. "One of those high schoolers." There's _always_ some high schooler here, Dick doesn't say. "I think it might be the one who pulled a knife on me."

"Oh," Roy says, grinning like it's a fond memory. "Jay."

"Right," Dick says. "Are you gonna…" He motions for Roy to get up.

"Why?" Roy teases. He sits up, and Dick gives him a hand the rest of the way. Roy smells like he took a vodka bath last night. "You scared of a sixteen-year-old kid, Dickie?"

"Only if he ends up getting us arrested," Dick shoots back. He follows Roy out into the living room where Jason's waiting, sitting on the edge of the couch with his backpack on his shoulders. His face lights up when he sees Roy like it didn't at all when Dick answered the door, but Dick's not about to be kicked out of his own living room so these two can fool around or whatever.

"Hey," Roy says. "Where's Tim?" he asks, and Dick remembers that's the other one. Tim wears nicer clothes, and when he's not drunk off his ass leaning on Roy he says _please_ and _thank you_ a lot. Jason looks like he raided Roy's closet most of the time, although probably nothing he owns has bloodstains from bar fights on it.

"Debate meet," Jason says. "I offered to wait for him, but he got mad last time when I started throwing shit at people I didn't like."

"Huh," Roy says. "Weird." Then he leans down and kisses Jason, and Dick tries not to watch Roy shove his entire tongue down Jason's throat, or the way Jason clings to Roy's shoulders like a life raft, but it's hard to look away.

"Uh," Dick says, when they start making plans for today. "I'm gonna -" he nods to the kitchen, to no one, because neither of them are paying even a tiny bit of attention to him.

The thing is, it fucks Dick up having these high school kids around all the time. He and Roy graduated two _years_ ago. Roy dropped out of college, and Dick's still trying this part-time thing, working nights at the club a few blocks down so they can pay rent. Dick loved high school, and everyone there loved him. He was popular, he got decent grades, he always had a girlfriend - none of that's true anymore.

Roy still goes to all the parties. He's tried to drag Dick along a few times, but the last thing Dick feels like seeing is a bunch of kids who might still recognize him, might wonder what the hell he's doing with his life and Dick can't really tell them _much_. It's -

He hears Jason and Roy laughing in the living room, and when he comes back out with a sandwich and some chips, he sits down on the couch next to them because there's nowhere to sit in the kitchen but the floor.

"You know," Dick tells Jason. "I think I know where I know you from."

"Yeah?" Roy asks. Jason just looks at him.

"Yeah," Dick says. "You took Painting a couple years ago, right?"

"Uh-huh," Jason says. Roy runs his fingers through Jason's hair, and Jason leans back into it, his eyes flickering like a cat being pet. "Hated every second of it."

"That's right," Dick says. "Didn't you throw your canvas out the window?" he asks, and Roy starts laughing.

"Shut up," Jason tells him, then to Dick, "Yeah, I did. It was shit. Mrs. Goretti wanted me to paint fucking happy trees or whatever."

"I remember that," Dick says, but Jason just shrugs. "I don't remember seeing you there."

 

*

 

Dick leaves for his evening class before he has to be at the club. It's almost three in the morning before he gets back home, opens to the door to the smell of pot and to the sight of Jason, Tim, and Roy all on the floor in the living room doing bong hits.

"Jesus," Dick says. He's had a bad night. He usually likes the club; he gets good tips and works with cool people, but some crazy guy spilled a drink on him tonight, and he had to get security in for a girl who showed up waving a knife at her ex-girlfriend. "Don't you children have a curfew?"

"It's Saturday," Tim points out from where he's splayed out like a starfish on the floor, his tiny t-shirt riding up and his hair going in all directions.

"I never have a curfew. Not even sure where the curfewers are, really," Jason says. He crawls right on top of Tim, sucks Tim's bottom lip into his mouth. Dick looks at Roy over both of them, and Roy shrugs at him before he goes back to watching Jason and Tim.

"God," Dick says. "I'm so gonna end up in jail."

"Ah, relax," Jason says. He slides his hand down Tim's pants when he says it, which doesn't help _anything_. "'s not like anyone invited you, anyway."

"Jay," Roy says, and Dick feels himself blushing, and this night is just fucking fantastic.

"Whatever," Dick says. He grabs the bottle of vodka that's just sitting on the floor. "I'm going to bed," he says. He doesn't _mean_ to slam his door like a petulant teenager, but - it's not like anyone's going to notice.

 

*

 

The sun's still not up when Dick hears someone coming into his room. "Nnh," he groans, figuring it's Roy coming to ask if he's sober enough to drive the kids home or something. It's not, though. When Dick opens his eyes, Jason's standing there in a t-shirt and boxers.

"Hey man," Jason says.

"Uh," Dick says. "Hi. Everything okay? Is someone puking? I'm not nurse when it comes to puking; that was a one time thing because Roy gets really emotional on jaeger."

"Relax," Jason says. His voice is raspy, like too many cigarettes, and Dick kind of likes the sound of it. "I just -" Jason steps into the room, leaving enough light from the hall for them to see. He chuckles. "Fair warning, I'm kinda stoned, but… hear me out, 'kay?"

Dick nods. "'kay," he agrees.

Jason kneels down next to Dick's bed. His eyes are these big, blue things, and his mouth is all puffy. "I didn't… I think I was kind of an asshole before. I mean, when Roy Harper's telling you you're an asshole, there's a probability, right?"

Dick snorts. "You weren't - okay," he amends at Jason's look. "You were a little, maybe, but I'd already had a bad night. And then there's teenagers in my house and none of them remember who I am and it's a little…"

"I remember who you are," Jason says.

"What?"

"I remember," Jason says. He puts his hand on the bed, traces lines in the sheets. "I mean jesus, man, you were like… The ultimate fuckin' wetdream, you know?"

"Oh," Dick says. He knows his face must look all stupid and scrunched up. "But you always act like…"

"Like I don't care?" Jason asks. "Maybe just 'cause I didn't wanna act like some kid with a crush."

"Oh," Dick says again. His brain is trying to process that still when Jason stands up.

"Anyway," he says. "I'll let you get back to sleep." He moves back across the room, stops at the door. "You should hang out with us next time, though."

"Yeah," Dick says. "Maybe."

By the time he figures it out, Jason's already gone.

 

*

 

"So," Dick says the next afternoon. Tim left before they all woke up, Jason a little while after that, sleepy-eyed and grinning, and now it's just the two of them standing in the kitchen, trying to make the coffee pot work. "Tim and Jason."

Roy sighs. His hair's up in a ponytail and his hands are covered in coffee grounds. "Look," he says. "I don't know when you became such a _grandma_ about things, but -"

"Not," Dick says. "Not that. I mean, I am genuinely worried that someone's going to tell Tim's mother -"

"She's dead -"

"Or Jason's _dad_ -"

"In jail -"

"But that's not," Dick says. He rubs at his face. He needs a shave sometime today, and he still kind of smells like alcohol. They were _trying_ to make Irish coffees, but at this point it looks like they'll just have the Irish part of that equation. "Jason came to talk to me last night, after I went to bed."

Roy stops fiddling with the coffee pot to look at him. "Yeah?" he asks. "Did you fuck him?"

"What? _No_ ," Dick says.

"Too bad," Roy says. He gives up on the coffee pot, rinses his hands off in the sink. "He's told me some things…" he trails off.

"What things?" Dick asks, trying not to sound too eager. Jesus, this kid's in _high school_.

Roy catches it anyway, though, and he grins. "If you're interested, I could say something."

"God. No. Don't," Dick says. He pulls two mugs down from the cabinet and splits a bottle of Bailey's between them. "It's just… nice to be wanted, right?"

Roy stares at him. "Dickie," he says, in the tone of voice that means _moron_. "Everyone wants you."

Dick takes a big gulp of his drink and licks his lips. Roy leans back against the counter and tips his head on Dick's shoulder. "Anyway," Roy says. "If you change your mind, take it easy on him, okay? Don't hurt him."

"Why would I hurt him?" Dick asks, and he doesn't have to look over to know Roy's giving him that look again.

"Dickie," Roy says. "I spent all of high school taking your sloppy seconds. I've gone down on more girls whose heart you broke than anyone else combined."

"Um," Dick says. "You're welcome?"

"Well, _yeah_ ," Roy says. "But seriously. He's a good kid. And he gives head like -"

"I gotta go finish my English paper," Dick says, jumping away from the counter.

"He deep throats!" Roy calls after him. Dick downs the rest of his drink in one go.

*

 

The next time Jason shows up, Dick's home by himself, watching daytime TV because he's really good at procrastinating over writing papers. When there's a knock on the door, he figures Roy just locked himself out again, so he's not ready for it when he opens the door and Jason's standing there, rain-soaked and sheepish.

"Hi," Jason says.

"Um," Dick says. "Roy's not here."

"I know," Jason says. "He said I could come wait for him, and I would've gone to Tim's, but his house kind of creeps me out because it's like, a movie set of what a house should look like and -" Dick realizes he still hasn't actually let Jason in, so he moves out of the way and closes the door behind him.

"Sorry," Jason says. Dick moves some stuff off the couch so Jason can sit down. "I just - kinda didn't really want to be home right now, you know?"

"Sure," Dick says. "You can hang out here if you want. I'm supposed to be writing a paper, anyway."

"On what?" Jason teases. " _Days of Our Lives_?"

Dick shrugs. "Daytime drama helps me think."

"Uh-huh," Jason says. Dick starts to walk away, but then Jason looks up at him and asks, "Sit with me?" And that's how he ends up reminiscing with Jason about school for the next hour or so.

"See, the thing is," Jason says. "There's not really a _you_ there anymore. I mean, there are a couple of kids who could maybe get there in a year or two, but there's _no one_ like Dick Grayson."

"Aww, shucks," Dick says.

"You miss it, huh?" Jason asks. He's not even facing the TV anymore, just sitting on the couch with his legs folded up, picking at a hole in his jeans.

"It's stupid," Dick says. "But I feel like high school's sort of the last time I knew who I was?"

"You're probably the only one," Jason says. "I never know what the fuck I'm doing."

"And thank goodness for that, or I'd have a knife through my eye," Dick says, and Jason laughs.

"Heh," he says. "Yeah, sorry about that. Seeing you for the first time in that long was kind of, uh, visceral. It was either that or stick my tongue down your throat."

"Definitely would've preferred the latter," Dick says before he can stop himself, and Jason's eyes widen. "Um," Dick says. "I mean."

"No," Jason says. "Say it."

Dick lets out a breath. "Look," he says. "I like you. But, one: you're with Roy. And Tim. I'm not really sure how that works. And two: you're in _high school_."

"Doesn't stop Roy," Jason points out.

"All the more reason not to do it," Dick says, and Jason ignores him.

"As for the other stuff," Jason says. "That's… It's not a set thing or anything. I mean, I like Tim and I like Roy. But…" He chews on his lip, looks and looks at Dick, and Dick wishes he were a whole lot drunker so he could make some really poor decisions right now, because he wants to know what that mouth _feels_ like.

"The other thing," Dick says. He reaches out and touches Jason's hand, squeezes his fingers. "The other part is I don't want to hurt you."

Jason winces. "Roy told you, huh?"

"He didn't go into detail about anything," Dick says. "But if someone with no qualms about fucking sixteen-year-olds tells me to be gentle, well… It's cause for concern." Jason nods. "Still," Dick says. "That doesn't mean we can't be friends. Right?"

"Sure," Jason says. "Friends."

They watch TV again. Roy comes home a while later, scoops Jason up off the couch and into his arms, and the volume on their TV just isn't loud enough to block out the noise that comes from Roy's bedroom ten minutes later. Dick grinds the heel of his hand against the front of his jeans. He's never going to get anything done today.

 

*

 

"Come out tonight," Roy says on Friday night. Dick's finally off after a seven-day stretch, and he was kind of looking forward to just staring at the television for eight to sixteen hours straight.

"Nah," Dick says. He's stretched out on the floor, doing the splits while he watches some kind of cooking show. "I'm good."

"Uh-uh," Roy says. "Not an answer." He sits down on the floor, getting his stupid combat boots all over Dick's yoga mat. He pulls Dick right over his lap because he's stupidly fucking strong when he wants to be. "Come on, Dickie, when was the last time you left the house for anything but work?"

Dick thinks about it. "I got a bagel yesterday."

"Dick."

"It was a pretzel bagel. Chive and onion cream cheese, and -"

" _Dick_ ," Roy says. Dick squirms around to look up at him. There's a bruise just under his jaw that's almost definitely from a teenager and he needs a shave and a haircut and he's wearing the _stupidest_ shell necklace that Kori gave him like, three years ago - and he still looks more put together than Dick does.

"Fine," Dick says. "But you're buying me a bagel first."

Roy grins. "You get cleaned up and I'll buy you a whole damn bag, dude." Dick doesn't know what Roy means, but then when he's getting in the shower he finds a blue Sour Patch Kid in his hair. He didn't even know there _were_ blue Sour Patch Kids.

 

*

 

"This is a high school party," Dick says six hours later. He's wearing a t-shirt he grabbed off the floor a little while ago and the jeans that always make Roy grab his ass. _And_ he finally shaved. For a bunch of high school kids.

"Obviously," Roy says. He's drinking a beer and saying hi to everyone and he looks in his _element_ like - like Dick used to.

"I'm leaving," Dick says. Everyone's _staring_ at him, and some of it's the good staring, sure, but it's - high school girls. Girls who used to cheerlead for him and decorate his locker and ask him if he had a date for Homecoming and -

"Holy shit," someone says, and Dick looks down and Jason's standing in front of him, grinning in his Nirvana t-shirt and holding a beer and he's pretty in that way that makes Dick want to get his hands in his hair and mess him up a little. A lot.

"I don't think I've ever seen you at one of these," Jason says. "I mean, not since you graduated and all."

Dick swallows. A little ways away, Roy's talking to a girl with green hair. "When I graduated, you must've been a freshman. What were you even doing at parties?"

Jason raises an eyebrow at him and smirks. "Anyway," Dick says. "I'm gonna go. This isn't - I shouldn't even -"

Jason gets a little closer to him, licks his lips. The music's loud and Dick feels fuzzy from the shots he had before he got here, and Jason asks, "Come on, man. One round of beer pong?"

And the thing is, Dick is _so good_ at beer pong.

 

*

 

Three hours later, Dick's lying on the floor next to the coffee table, watching Roy and Tim and Jason. Tim's squished between them, pink faced and happy, and Jason kisses Tim's neck while Roy sucks his bottom lip, licks into his mouth. Dick shuts his eyes for a minute, and when he opens them again Jason's standing over him, flushed and bleary-eyed.

"You okay, man?" he asks, like _Dick's_ the kid at the party or whatever.

"I'm good," Dick says, and it's not a lie or anything. His body feels light, his head just about empty, and the carpet under him feels soft enough to sleep on. Jason kneels down next to him. His eyes are this deep, dark blue, and his mouth is red.

"You know," Jason says. "Everyone was really excited to see you. You're kind of a celebrity, man."

Dick shakes his head. It feels good on the carpet, so he does it a few more times before he says, "A celebrity who can barely make rent. I feel like a loser."

"God," Jason says. "You got no idea, do you?" he asks, and then he's practically on top of Dick, leaning over and his mouth is so close, his eyes so wide, and Dick -

Jason's mouth opens against his and he tastes like beer and chapstick, cigarettes and Roy, and Dick grabs a fistful of Jason's hair and takes and takes, sucks on his tongue, hooks his leg over Jason while Jason grinds down on him like the teenager he _is_.

"Fuck," Jason says. He gasps for breath against Dick's neck, and Dick can feel how hard he is even though he can't hear the music playing anymore, can't hear his own damn thoughts.

"We shouldn't," Dick says, but he knows he doesn't mean it right now, and he and Jason make out slow and lazy, rolling around the floor until Dick bumps his head on the stupid coffee table. Jason starts laughing, and then Dick does, and the night ends around there when Roy gathers the two of them and Tim to take everyone home.

He sits in the back seat with Jason, Jason's head on his shoulder. While Roy blasts his shitty country music and Tim tries to argue about that, Jason mumbles all kinds of filthy things he wants to do with Dick, things that make Dick shove his tongue down Jason's throat just to shut him _up_.

"Not _yet_ ," Dick says, and he doesn't know why, or when, he just knows - he just knows that the way Jason looks at him has made him stop saying never.

They drop Tim off at a damn mansion, Jason at a building that makes his and Roy's place _look_ like a mansion, and then Dick climbs into the front seat next to Roy.

"So," Roy says. He's grinning, big and wide and _I told you so_.

"So," Dick grunts back. The beer's wearing off and he just wants his bed, maybe another shower. He wants to jerk off until he's raw thinking about a damn _high schooler._

"I know how this is gonna sound coming from me, but be careful, okay?" Roy says.

Dick nods, thinks about how when they got to Jason's place Jason dove at him, kissed him hard and sloppy, catching his cheek and chin like some overgrown puppy. This is the same kid who carries a knife in his back pocket, who smokes in the parking lot and the boy's room and throws art projects out the window. This is the same kid who _wants_ him, even though -

"I will," Dick promises. Whatever careful means.


End file.
